DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES IN THE USE OF SIGEDUC AT JOÃO GOMES DA COSTA NETO MUNICIPAL SCHOOL
Teacher Training; SIGEDUC; Learning Management System; Innovation. Digital Transformation.
The increasing use of electronic devices connected to the Internet has substantially increased access to applications and technological solutions in the most diverse everyday situations. Problems that previously required time and specific locations to be solved are now solved much more quickly and efficiently, generating comprehensive benefits for all segments of the population. Following this irreversible movement of digital transformation, the Municipality of Parnamirim, the third most populous municipality in the State of RN, began using the Integrated Education Management System (SIGEDUC) in 2021. This system aims to computerize and control the administrative and academic aspects of basic education schools and daycare centers. Three years after implementing SIGEDUC, it is clear that its functionalities can still be explored to improve administrative and pedagogical efficiency. Given this reality, this work addresses the following research question: how can we overcome the challenges faced by teachers at the João Gomes da Costa Neto Municipal School, the locus of this research, in implementing and using SIGEDUC? This study aims to develop continuing education to improve the use of the functionalities available in SIGEDUC by teachers in the EMJGCN school community. The specific objectives are: a) to investigate the current use of SIGEDUC in the school community; b) to plan teacher training based on the principles of contextualized instructional design; c) to develop teaching materials for training; d) to evaluate the training and teaching materials used. The theoretical basis of this research encompasses the principles of teacher and continuing education, innovation in public service, digital transformation, management information systems, academic management systems, and SIGEDUC itself. The research methodology has a qualitative approach, of an applied nature, with descriptive and exploratory objectives based on contextualized instructional design. Data were collected through the application of a diagnostic questionnaire and dynamics carried out with groups of teachers in the aforementioned teaching unit. The planning of the training and the production of the developed teaching material followed the stages of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation that constitute the principles of contextualized instructional design. The evaluation was carried out through focus groups with teachers from the school community, using the triangulation of the data obtained as a methodological basis. As a result, a teacher training program, a guide to the SIGEDUC functionalities used by teachers and a guide to using the Virtual Learning Environment Escola Virtual were designed and implemented. The results indicate that teachers improved their pedagogical routine with the agility obtained by using the management system as an electronic diary and that the possibilities offered by the virtual learning environment can generate engagement and motivation among students, benefiting the school community. We hope that the course and the technological products resulting from this research will favor the implementation of a routine in the use of SIGEDUC by teachers, and that they will be replicated by the Municipal Department of Education of Parnamirim in other teaching units in the municipality, positively impacting the future education of basic education students.